12 Tasks for Freedom
by figooza990
Summary: This is a story about what Hercules 2 might have looked like. We used the Myth of the Seasons and the Twelve Tasks of Hercules and mashed them into something Disney might have done. Herc must save the world (again), Pain and Panic come in too, as well as Meg, Hades, Persephone, Demeter, Zeus, and the Gods. Rated K. I am terrible at summaries.
1. Chapter 1

**How many of you have watched Disney's Hercules, and noticed the girl with the big flower on her head in the background. (This was a recent discovery for me, but I think it's pretty cool.) That's Persephone. She had next to no part in the movie's plot, and I just think that it's an interesting idea of how Hades would meet Persephone and what would happen. Also, we are totally disregarding the fact that Hades tells Meg that her time as his slave is done. (After he takes Herc's strength)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Disney/Hercules/any Disney character. Wish I did.**

Hades grabbed Persephone, Pain and Panic gagging her as he pulled her onto his chariot. Pain laughed; until Panic butted him out of the chariot, leaving the fat red demon in the dust as Panic stuck his tongue out and waggled his fingers. Panic turned to Hades. "Now that you got the girl, can I have a p-promotion?"

Hades kept his eyes on the chasm in the distance, one hand on Persephone's arm and one on the chariot horse's reins. He rolled his eyes and scowled. "If you do not get that miserable Pain in one minute, there will be no promotion and I will leave you on Earth."

Panic turned white, but latched onto a silver lining. "If...if is good!" He muttered as he jumped off the chariot, scampering after Pain. Hades steered the chariot into the chasm, ignoring Persephone's struggles, and the chasm closed behind them just as a pair of demons, one red, one blue, slid through.

Hades looked at his To-Do list.

1:Abduct pretty girl

2:Get Meg back

3: Maim Pain

4:Maim Panic

5:Steal Eros's arrows and bow. Urgent!

6:Shoot Persephone with PERMANENT love arrow

7:Be happy!

Hades checked off #1, smiling evilly. Time to get his little Nutmeg to finish her time.

Meg hummed as she chopped the log into smithereens. Once Hercules had taught her some sword basics, she had been perfectly content to chop and slice. She wasn't going to be a wife that cooked, gardened, and happily bandaged chipmunks' paws. She liked her job teaching young would be heroes to fight, and she wasn't going to give it up. Dressed in a dark violet toga top and skin tight shorts, she continued to practice. Then she noticed two demons on the edge of the meadow. Immediately she frowned. "What are you doing here?" She growled at Pain and Panic. Pain spoke in his high,. wheezy voice.  
"Just distracting you!" Panic hit him.  
"You idiot! We're supposed to give Hades time to..." They stopped tussling, staring wide-eyed at Meg's retreating back.  
"Now you've done it." Pain said, resuming their fight. Neither one saw Hades erupt out of the ground in front of Meg, wrapping her in smoke and covering her mouth as she struggled.  
"You idiots!" He yelled in the demon's direction as he sunk back into the ground with his prisoner.

Hercules, hearing Hades' yell, ran as fast as he could to the meadow, just in time to see Meg's disappearing hand. He immediately dove in after them.

Meg tugged at the smoke chain that held her next to Persephone as Hercules landed with a thud on top of Hades. "GIVE MEG BACK!" Hercules yelled, picking Hades off of the ground. Meg rolled her eyes. Hercules suddenly dropped Hades. "Who's that other girl?" He asked quizzically. Hades held up his hands as Hercules turned back towards him.  
"Wait a sec! I want to make a deal with you, Wonderboy. I'll give you both the babes if you'll do, let's see, 12 'impossible' tasks. Otherwise, I'll torture Meg for the rest of her time and 'Seph here is staying with me to the end of time." Hercules glowered as they shook hands, glancing towards Meg. "Great!" Hades yelled. Your first task is..." A wheel appeared next to him, and he spun it. It landed on N.L.

"Kill the famed Nemean Lion!"

**I know this does not follow the plot of the myths at all, but this is how Disney might do it. Please review! (Please be nice! I like my self-esteem!)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Note: Yes, the song Zero to Hero had some of the tasks displayed in it, But I'm going to ignore that so this plot will work.**

Hades sighed, rubbing his throbbing temples as soon as Hercules left. "Always getting the way... that Wonderboy." He gave a coin to Charon, and pulled his two prisoners along his side. "Time to get you acquainted, I suppose. Megara, Persephone, Seph, Nutmeg. Done." Once the boat sailed past Cerberus, Hades snapped his fingers, dispersing both girls' gags. Persephone immediately burst into shouts, breathing fast and hyperventilating.  
"WHATAMIDOINGHEREWHATDIDIDOTODESERVETHISWHEREAMIWH ATDIDYOUDOHADESWHYISAGIRLNEXTTOMEWHYAREWEBOTHTIEDU PWHYAREYOUBEINGSOMEAN..."  
"Calm down, Blondie." Meg said, shutting Persephone up.  
"WELLCANYOUSAYTHATYOUJUSTGOT...oh wait, you probably got kidnapped too." Meg nodded.  
"You can join the 'Held Prisoner by Hades Club' now. I'm a Senior member. Been there, done that." She pursed her lips, "Well, technically I sold my soul to him to save an old boyfriend's hide. Got a lot of thanks for that..." There was a moment of silence, but it was broken when Panic jumped up onto the side of the boat, dancing and singing,  
"Master got what he waaaaanted! Master got what he waaaaanted!" Pain started to join in, clumsily trying to imitate the dance. The two ended up bumping into each other, and falling to the floor of the boat.  
"Pain! Panic!" Hades growled, his hair taking on an orange hue. "I've had enough of your messing around." Hades picked them both up, and tossed them into the river. Dead souls swarmed them from all sides trying to pull them in.  
"EEEW!" Pain screeched.  
"GROSS! GET THEM OFF!" Panic echoed. The two swam up to the boat, clawing their way up the sides. Persephone and Meg shifted their feet to avoid the green water that was dripping from the demon's horns.  
"Where are we, anyways?" Persephone asked, looking around.  
"Well, aren't you precious." Meg said, rolling her eyes. "We're in the Underworld, Flowergirl."  
"Oh. Mother isn't going to be happy about this..." Persephone started to say, adjusting her crooked flower headdress.  
"Are you a mommy's girl?" Meg teased. Persephone scowled, and said,  
"No, more like she controls my life." The boat hit the shore, and Hades continued pulling the two girls along.  
"I'm glad to see that you two have become well acquainted. I will show you to your rooms." Hades led them through a labyrinth of halls, finally coming to two massive doors. Hades opened the first door and pushed Persephone in. The he flung open the second and much more roughly threw Meg to the floor. "I have some business to attend to, so I expect you to stay here," He said as he snapped his fingers, freeing them of their chains. A new chain appeared around Meg's ankle. "Hey!" She said, surprised. He smiled, eyebrows raised, at her. Then he closed the doors. There was a definite clicking noise as they slammed shut, and when Persephone tried to move the door handle, it wouldn't budge.

Hades sat with the fates, glowering as they again fought over the eyeball. "Look," He said, "I need to know what I can do if our friend Wonderboy actually succeeds in his tasks. I don't want to give up Seph, I don't care that much for Meg, but is there something that will bind them to the underworld forever?" The Fates looked at him, and sighed.  
"It's such a small favor, sisters. It can't hurt that much," Lachesis said. The others reluctantly agreed, nodding slowly and almost scowling. Lachesis held out the eye, and let it float above the fates' heads.

_ What you seek is found right here,_

_ among the souls of dead_

_ A pomegranate for the dear,_

_ and out she can never tread_

_ She eats but a seed, and she'll have to stay,_

_ in an underworld chain,_

_ She can cry to Hera, to Zeus pray,_

_ But here, she must remain._

The Fates exited as they usually did, dissolving into the eyeball, and then disappearing with a pop. "A pomegranate," Hades said, smirking a bit. He walked over to a tree, heavy with fruit. "And here I thought they were just for decoration."

Persephone paced the room, her eyes restlessly seeking. Meg was complaining to herself. The setup of the rooms was simple. Persephone had a large room with a luxurious canopy bed. Books climbed the wall of one side of the room, thick novels and thin, her favorite titles and ones she'd never read before. She had to admit, Hades was very thoughtful. He had even put a box of Earth soil in one corner, so she could nurture a flower garden to life. There was a single torch in both rooms, lighting them dimly, almost peacefully. A door made of bars separated Persephone's room from Meg's. Megs room was a quarter of the size of Persephone's, and contained only a small, hard bed. Meg's chain connected to the floor in the middle. She sat on the bed, resting her cheek on her hand. "I don't get why she got the better room! Is there no respect for senior citizens around here?" She said to herself, laughing at her own joke. "I guess Hades lost his trust in me." Meg said softly, pulling on her ankle chain. The last time she was in the Underworld, she had gone smoke-chain free. Meg looked up as a soft thump resounded on the bed. A book lay there. Meg smiled as she grabbed it, looking through the bar door. Persephone was innocently reading another book. Meg smiled. "Maybe you're not so bad after all, Blondie." She whispered silently to herself.

Hercules stood, gulping, at the lair of the Nemean lion. He took a deep breath and walked in. Soon, he was running out. He ran up the dirt path until he was directly over where the lion would emerge. He pulled out his sword, ready for the lion to come. When it barreled out, Herc was ready. He leaped down at it, landing the sword straight on the small of it's back. The steel sword shattered on impact, leaving Hercules defenseless. He was thrown to the ground, and the Nemean lion towered over him, drool dripping onto Herc's face. The lion lunged, Hercules rolling out just in time. He got up, and stood, ready with the last weapon he had; a simple knife. When he lunged at the lion's belly, the stone blade, too, shattered in his hand. He jumped back as the lion tried to bite at his head. I can't use any weapons on it, so I guess I'll have to wrestle. He thought as he circled around again. He jumped on the lion's head, looping his arms around it's neck. The lion bucked in surprise, trying to wrestle it's captor off. Hercules held tight until the lion died of suffocation. It melted away until only it's pelt was left. "Okay, that wasn't too bad," Hercules smiled as he slung the pelt around his shoulders as a cape.

Even with books to read, Persephone was incredibly bored. She paced around the room a bit, her eyes continually flickering towards the patch of soil. She felt that using it would be like thanking Hades for it, and she was already disappointed in herself for reading. She finally gave in, and kneeled in the fresh, moist soil. She cupped her hands to the ground, and breathed in. She opened her eyes slightly, daring to take a peek at Meg. She was deep inside the book Persephone had loaned her, and had a look of pure concentration on her face. Persephone grinned, and began to create a large rose bush. It sprouted out of the ground, slowly growing green leaves and white rosebuds. The flowers bloomed, opening into full blossoms. The ivory petals were slightly tinged with a shiny silver, making them glow dimly in the light. Persephone carefully plucked a rose from the bush, and then picked several more. Soon, she had about a dozen blooms in front of her, and she began nimbly weaving them to create a wreath. Once she'd finished, she bent over the soil again, this time sprouting grass and ivy. The green blades grew to her waist before stopping, and the Ivy climbed up the wall behind the little patch of earth. Persephone picked five blades of grass, and tied them to the roses, making little green streamers flow off of the headdress. She then gathered some ivy, and weaved that among the roses. She held up her creation with a grin, and hid it beneath her bed. She'd give this to Meg sometime later, when the time was right.

**Here's chapter two! Hope you enjoyed. Coming up next: Pegasus and Phil join into the mix. Along with more of what you've already seen! Signing off, Figooza990.**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter three:

Hercules whistled, calling Pegasus. They bumped heads, and then Hercules jumped onto his steed. They flew away to see Herc's old friend, Phil. Herc hoped that he might have some tips on how to beat some of these monsters. He didn't know what his next task was, but he was sure it would be harder than suffocating a lion.

They arrived at the island as the sun was starting to set. Phil was inside his home, polishing a few trophies of his. "Phil!" Hercules said loudly, knocking on the door. The satyr strutted out, grinning at his old friend.  
"How ya doin, kid?" He asked, looking up.  
"Not good. Hades is up to something, he took Meg and some other girl. I think he said her name was Persephone or something..."  
"You don't mean Demeter's daughter, do you?" Phil said urgently. "If she is, Demeter is going to be mad. She might slow all growth into nothing!"  
"I'm supposed to do twelve tasks for Hades before he agrees to let them go, I've already finished one." Hercules held out the lion pelt for Phil to see.  
"Nice! Did you try to use your sword?" Phil asked. Hercules held out his shattered blade. "Oi Vay. That isn't good. You'll need a new sword fairly soon, cause I imagine there will be tons of fighting." Phil paused, thinking. "Say, what's your next task?"  
"I... don't know. I still need to check in with Hades."  
"Go do that now, and then come check with me. I may know a thing or two about your missions. I've trained many a hero, and seen a lot of them go down the drain by missing a vital weak point." Hercules ran to Pegasus, vaulting onto his back with ease.  
"I'll be back before you know it!" He called over his shoulder as they rose into the sky.

Hades walked along his hallways, scowling. Why couldn't he just get the courage to talk to Persephone? He felt so awkward trying to strike a conversation with her. With Meg, it was natural. He'd done it enough to be completely comfortable. Whether he found himself bumbling about because he was in love, or whether it was just because he didn't know Seph at all was a mystery to him. He clutched the red Pomegranate in his hands. He felt cruel, wanting to use it. It would be a way of forcing them to stay in the underworld forever, and he couldn't bring himself to do it as anything but a last resort. He finally just tucked it into his pocket, and sat back on his throne, brooding and reprimanding himself for being a coward.

Meg finished the book Persephone had given her after a while, and looked around, trying to find some other way to entertain herself. She peeked into Persephone's room, hoping she could get another book, but the poor goddess had flopped on the bed, sleeping restlessly. It's gotta hurt, what happened to her. Meg thought, her heart twanging slightly when she saw the disturbed expression on Persephone's face. She sighed, laying herself down on her bed. She tossed and turned, trying to get the feeling of hard stone beneath the lumpy mattress to go away. She rubbed her eyes, and suppressed a yawn. She hadn't realized just how tired she was. There wasn't any way to tell time in the underworld, but she felt as if she'd been there forever. She finally gave up trying to make herself comfortable, and just curled on the smooth stone floor. It was cold and slightly damp, but she was able to fall asleep better there.

Meg's door opened quietly. She bolted up, and scowled at Hades as he towered in the doorway. "Nutmeg, I need a little... advice." He said, grabbing her arm. He transferred her ankle chain to his hand. Then he tugged her out, sneaking a glance at the sleeping Persephone.

When they got to Hades throne, Hades plopped onto it, connecting Meg's chain to the arm. "Nutmeg, how would you go about, say, um…" Meg looked at him expectantly. In a superfast whisper, Hades got it out. _"IwanttogetSephtolikemewithoutforcebutIdon'tknowho w!"_ Meg burst into laughter. Through giggles, she got out,  
"So you just want dating advice? Well, there is no way I'm telling you the way to a girl's heart!" Hades frowned, his hair turning orange.  
"Actually, Nutmeg, you are! In your contract it says you have to obey me!" Meg sighed. That stupid contract again. Luckily, she was saved from having to come up with another answer as Hercules "dropped in" again. He glanced at her before turning to Hades.  
"Umm... I finished the task." He said, his eyes flickering between the two faces. He pulled off the lion skin, and held it out for Hades to see. Hades nodded, scowling.  
"That didn't take long," he said. "Here is your next task," the wheel appeared again, and was spun. It slowed, ticking as it passed each option. It finally slowed, and stopped on L.H. "You get to fight the Lernaean Hydra!" Hades said, smirking.  
"I thought I already beat the hydra..." Hercules said.  
"That was a different hydra." Hades said quickly, dispelling the subject. "And, this time, I made sure there would be no landslides." He added as Hercules disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Hercules stood awkwardly. Hades had just teleported him into a large rock field, and there was no one else around. Suddenly, a ring of fire engulfed the field. Hercules walked near the edge, and tried to peek through the flames. A shadow towered over him, and he felt hot breath race down his neck. He turned, and pulled out his broken sword. "Oh Gods..." He said, racing away before the hyra could eat him. He dragged the sword along the ground, trying to get one edge sharp. The sword caused sparks to fly across the ground, and he ran as far as he could. He turned, faced the creature, and swung his sword. It was barely sharp enough to cut the scales, leaving only a slight mark. He ran again, sprinting across the ring again, dragging the sword like he did last time. "This could take a while," He whispered to himself as he again faced the hydra, getting no effect with his dull sword.

"Back to business, Nutmeg." Hades said as soon as Hercules had left. "I really need to know... what I should do."  
"For one, kidnapping her probably wasn't the best option." Mag answered. "Locking her in a room doesn't help much either," she added thoughtfully.  
"Look, I want to know where I can go from here, NOT WHAT I'VE DONE WRONG!" Hades roared, bursting into flames. Megara recoiled, flicking a small ember off of her shoulder.  
"I know just as much or less about the girl than you do," she said, turning away.  
"Would it be useful to you if you went back and socialized for a while?" Hades asked, still burning, but becoming much calmer.  
"Yes, it would." Meg retorted.  
"Pain! Panic!" Hades yelled. The duo bumbled in, pushing and prodding each other the whole way.  
"Yes, O wonderful Master?" They asked in unison.  
"Take our little Nutmeg back to her room, and be quick about it." Hades said, waving them off. The smoke chain dispersed, connecting instead to Pain's tail.  
"Umm... Master?" He asked, pointing at it.  
"It will reconnect with the floor when you get there." Hades answered rubbing his head. Pain and Panic started walking, leading Meg away.

Back in her room, Meg sat near the bars, nervously trying to get Persephone's attention. "So... Blondie. What do you usually do?" she asked.  
"Well, I used to spend my days in a little cottage in the forest, living with my mom, and doing basically whatever she says. But I like helping the sick or injured. The one time Mother lets me get near boys is when I'm healing them." Persephone answered, bending over a little flower.  
"What are you the goddess of?"  
"Spring and regrowth." Persephone slowly stroked the flower, and let go. It immediately wilted, and dissolved away. Persephone sighed, and tried again.  
"What are you doing?" Meg asked, shifting her weight to get a better look.  
"Promise not to tell Hades?" Persephone said, looking up from her work.  
"Promise."  
"I'm trying to learn to grow plants in the stone. It may help us escape, if we ever get a chance."  
"Oh. That's good... I guess." Meg said. Looking down. _How are flowers going to help us escape the god of the underworld?_ She thought. "So, what is your mother like?"  
"She's okay…" Meg saw a talking point.  
"What is she like?"  
"Um…"  
"Please tell me!"  
"Fine. She's overprotective and can be super jealous! She won't let any boys even come close to me!" Persephone burst out. Meg whistled.  
"So you're having dating troubles too,"  
"Like who?"  
"Um… never mind."

Persephone had turned back to her flower, concentrating hard, when the door to Meg's cell slammed open. Hades stalked in, Pain and Panic following behind. He grabbed Meg and pulled her out forcefully, slamming the door shut behind him. "Anything to say that might improve my mood, Nutmeg?" He growled. Meg kept her cool. She had seen this demeanor enough to know that Hercules was still alive, albeit fighting a hydra with no sword. She felt this message relieve part of her worry as she answered him.  
"Of course. I always come through." He smiled, sharp teeth showing.  
"I know, sweetie." She grimaced at the thought of his showdown with Hercules. Then she continued.  
"Blondie needs to have a little space. Overprotective mom, etc., etc. Show her that you care about her, poor thing's never been near men in her life." Meg reconsidered. "Actually, Blondie's pretty lucky in that aspect. She also likes to help people. You might want to show her the Fields of Asphodel and what she'd rule if she was your queen, but she's not power hungry. Just show her how kind you can be." Hades smiled deviously, then noticed his real-life player board. Hercules' sword was sharp, and he was slicing off the hydra's heads, then dipping them in fire. Herc took a deep breath and wiped his forehead as the hydra fell for the last time. Hades roared and smashed his fist down on the table. He turned and hit Meg with a shock of smoke. She fell, the pain over quickly. She got up, grimacing and feeling her stomach. There would be a bruise tomorrow. "Cool it, hothead," Meg said angrily. "You could really hurt a girl with that kind of stuff." Hades took a deep breath as he tapped his fingers together, hair blue again. He turned to Meg.  
"If Hercules is able to keep up his hero act, you are going to pay. I swear on the Styx, if he gets the sacred deer of Artemis, I am going to get you to eat a pomegranate, just to spite him!" Hades snapped his fingers, and Pain and Panic led Meg back to her cell. She felt horrible. That smoke bolt had really hit her hard. She shook her head as she lay down on her cot. Now she was torn. She wanted Hercules to succeed and, at the same time, desperately wanted him not to.

Hercules and Phil sat, talking, after Hades gave Hercules his third task. "We need to get that deer! But I can tell you, Arc won't want to be captured! My relative is mighty loyal, and he'll only let himself be captured if Artemis says so." Phil said.  
"Cousin to you?" Hercules asked curiously.  
"With a lot of removes and seconds." Phil said, grimacing.  
"Time to talk with Artemis." Hercules said, grabbing his lion skin cloak and slinging it over his shoulder.

**And here ends Chapter three! I hope y'all are enjoying this! Signing off, Figooza990**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four:

Hercules stood in the temple of Zeus, nervously pacing. He finally shook his head and kneeled before the large statue. "Zeus, I ask that you came talk with me, and help me do what I seek out to accomplish," He said. There was a bolt of lightning, and the statue cracked to life.

"Why hello son! Haven't seen you for a while. How's Meg?"

"Umm... well, that's what I'm here about."

"Is she sick?" Zeus said, cocking his stone head to the side.

"N-n-no. Hades has her." Herc bit his lip. "He also has Persephone."

"So that's where the little girl was spirited away to." Zeus frowned. "It'll break Demeter's heart, that's for sure."

"Hades and I made a bargain to get Meg and her back, but I need some help. I need to capture the Arcadian Stag, and I can only do that with permission from Artemis. Do you know where to find her?" Zeus thought for a moment, and then his stone face lit up.

"Ah, right. She's in the forest near Olympus, hunting for a bit. She won't be too hard to find, but she can be a little grumpy if you catch her at the wrong time."

"Thank you, Father." Hercules said, sprinting out of the temple.

Zeus rubbed his head, he had just talked with Hercules, and had bad news to deliver to his sister. "Demeter?" He called softly to the mourning woman sitting on a small cloud. Her head turned, but she wouldn't say anything. "I found out where Persephone is," Zeus said quietly. Demeter perked up, and gasped.

"Where is she? Who has taken her?" Zeus cleared his throat, and inhaled deeply.

"She's with Hades, in the underworld." He closed his eyes, ready for the volcanic eruption.

"WHAT? NO! I simply REFUSE to let ANYTHING grow until he returns my little flower. You've never been any help either, never giving the issue a second glance. I'll punish you all!" She howled before collapsing on the ground with sobs and whimpers. Zeus inhaled deeply, and left her alone, rendered completely speechless by the outbreak of emotion from Demeter.

Hercules breathed in the earthy smelling air. The tall trees towered over his head, and moist grass and mud squashed underneath his sandals. Suddenly, the plants withdrew their leaves, and the trees dropped everything right on top of hercules. He gasped, and dug his way out of the pile of leaves and twigs. Artemis stormed into his path, and menacingly reached for her arrow. "What have you done!" She exclaimed more than asked.

"It's not my fault! Demeter probably just found out where Persephone is!"

"Where is the little girl, anyways. I usually see her in her home, but lately, no one's answered."

"Hades took her to the underworld. I don't know his intentions, but I can't imagine them being good." Hercules said. Artemis crossed her arms.

"You mean, the forest is stuck this way until Persephone comes back, but that's not happening anytime soon? My animals will die without food!" Artemis' eyes went wide, and she started to breath heavily.

"Wait!" Hercules called to her. She looked at him, wild terror filling her eyes. "Hades and I made a deal. I complete several tasks, and he lets Persephone and Meg go. I need to catch the Arcadian Stag, and Phil says that he won't let me unless you tell him to." Artemis' eyes closed lightly, making her seem less like an animal.

"That's right. If it helps fix this mess, you can borrow him as long as you need, just don't hurt him." Artemis whistled, and a sleek, silver stag galloped to her. She made a few clicking noises, and pointed at Hercules. The deer bowed to her, and walked majestically to Hercules. Artemis smiled, and slipped off silently, disappearing into the mist.

Persephone silently sat there, rubbing her temples. She had been working on growing plants in the cold stone of the underworld, with little success. She looked forlornly at the little sprout she had gotten. It refused to grow any taller, and was slowly wilting away without having proper care. she sighed, got up, and walked away. The baby plant disappeared completely, wilting into nothing on the stone floor. Persephone looked under her bed, where the flower wreath still sat, blossoming in white. She pulled it out, and reached through the bars separating her from Meg. Meg was out with Hades now, and would see this when she came back.

When Meg actually did come back, Persephone was working on her little sprout again It had grown a little, a small leaf folding out of the pale green stem. When the door opened, Persephone snapped, and the baby plant shot back into the stone, hiding her secret. And I'd just made so much progress. she thought with a sigh. She walked to her plant box, and tended to her rosebush. She looked at the blossoms, seeming so pure against the cold, grey walls. The Ivy climbed high, shading the stone with green leaves, and the grasses, hid the brown earth still letting out that certain warmth. "Did you make this, Blondie?" Meg asked, holding up the little flower crown. Persephone nodded, and grinned a little.

"Do you like it?" She asked hopefully. She'd wanted to please Meg for some time but felt that flowers probably weren't the answer.

"It's pretty nice, not really my style, but I like it quite a bit. I mean, for flowers it's pretty good." Meg said.

"You don't like flowers?" Persephone asked, not quite catching on to the sarcasm in her voice. Meg grinned, and put on the headdress.

"No. I actually love them I was teasing you" She said. She shook her head, and sat heavily on her bed. "Hades will probably be visiting you soon." She said, looking down at the ground. Persephone nodded.

"There's something you're not telling me" Persephone said calmly. After more than 10 years with the queen of controlled expressions, Persephone could read a look as easily as breathing.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Sorry it took longer.

-Figooza990


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